Jeon Han-gil, a former Korean history lecturer, appeared before police on charges of spreading false information about Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Unit summoned Jeon as a suspect at approximately 12:30 p.m. on the 27th for questioning on charges including defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. Jeon was reported to authorities after stating on his YouTube channel last month that "given how he dismisses election fraud as conspiracy theory, one has to wonder if Representative Lee himself wasn't elected through fraudulent means."
Before the questioning, Jeon stated, "I merely requested fact verification regarding a public figure who is a National Assembly member, and there was absolutely no malicious intent." He added, "There are numerous suspicions of electoral irregularities, including poor management of early voting, statistical manipulation, and hacking risks."
Regarding the debate scheduled with Lee on the topic of election fraud, Jeon declared, "Even if I'm detained, I will attend the debate in handcuffs if necessary." He added, "I have no intention of fighting or winning—I just want to show the public evidence of election fraud." Lee fired back, saying, "He's laying the groundwork to skip the debate. I understand he's afraid to go to the police station given his accumulated investigations, but just go and come back safely."
Jeon previously appeared before police on the 12th for questioning on charges of spreading false information about President Lee Jae-myung. He currently faces at least eight complaints filed against him for defamation and intimidation.